Reapersona
by Casey W
Summary: So you're not interested in these kids then, Igor? Alright, then. I'm sure the Soul Reapers will take 'em. The Persona 4 cast join the academy!
1. A Quirk of Fate

January 18th 2011

… 234, 235, 236, 237, 238 boxes of Pocky; small.

… 141, 142, 143 boxes of Pocky; family size.

"I hate stock room duty _so much_" Yosuke muttered to himself as he noted down the last totals for this section before moving on to the next. His father was put in charge of running the Inaba branch of Junes when the company finished building it which, naturally, meant the Hanamura family had to move to the small town. Yosuke wasn't as upset about that as he acted. Really, he was proud of his dad and was glad to help out in what his family were considering the 'family business'.

He was, however, starting to suspect his parents' motives in thinking of the place that way. He'd noticed the looks the Inaba natives were sending his family's way. They were seen as interlopers. Invaders. The locals had no desire to see these 'big city folk' come in and ruin their perfect little town.

Yosuke figured it would be another 6 months before those same locals did all their shopping at Junes. At most. They'd still vilify the Hanamuras, of course. Stubborn pride and hypocrisy go together like chocolate and peanut butter.

He sighed to himself. Right. Inventory. Next section: kitchenware. 'Who the hell sorted this section?' Yosuke wondered to himself with a growl as he saw the complete tip that were the shelves of kitchen equipment. He got to work reorganising the shelves to make inventory easier.

Now, in fairness to Yosuke, it's worth noting that his shift was supposed to finish an hour ago. He was tired and somewhat frustrated, meaning he wasn't thinking quite as clearly as he really should be when handling shelves upon shelves of kitchen knives and other potentially hazardous items. If he'd taken a second to realise this, maybe take a break to get a coffee...

But he didn't do that. So what happened next wouldn't take a psychic to predict.

His father found him around a half hour later, immediately calling for an ambulance when he saw his only son lying on the floor. It turned out the majority of the wounds were superficial. Would've healed up fine in a few weeks.

If it weren't for that one blade that managed to find his eye.

'A freak accident', the detective put in charge determined. 'At least it was quick' the paramedics said, with as much sympathy as they could muster.

It was no consolation to the Hanamuras.

* * *

"Ahh!" Yosuke yelled as his arms moved to protect his face. "...Ah?"

He blinked in confusion when nothing happened. Looking around, he realised he was no longer in the stock room and was instead standing in some sort of old fashioned village.

"Hey, kid! You new?" a gruff male voice spoke from nearby.

Spinning around to face the new voice, Yosuke tried and failed to understand what just happened. "Uhh, sorry about this, sir, but could you maybe tell me what the _hell_ just happened?"

The man grinned. Yeah. This kid was new. "Well, hate to be the one to break it to ya, kid, but you're dead. Welcome to the afterlife."

* * *

January 22nd 2011

"So I was thinking we could head to the electronics store first. I need to replace my cell phone." a light-haired girl announced to her friend.

Chie Satonaka and Yukiko Amagi had decided to spend an afternoon in Okina City since neither had anything better to do.

And it got them away from the general sombre attitude after what happened earlier that week. The town hated the Hanamuras – undeservedly in Chie's opinion – but no one would have wished that fate on them. And Chie had probably been the one to spend the most time with Yosuke aside from his family. If she were being completely honest, she'd admit she was having trouble dealing with it.

So the two of them took an afternoon to get away from it all. Even if Chie wouldn't admit that was why she'd suggested it, Yukiko understood. That's what best friends are for, right?

Yukiko nodded in response to Chie's suggestion but was stopped by her ringing phone before she could offer a more vocal answer.

Chie watched her friend as the phone call went on and saw the girl's face fall further and further.

"Yes... Yes... No, I can't today... Yes, I know I have responsib- No! I won't just-" Yukiko pulled the phone away from her ear and snapped it shut without another word. Chie guessed the person on the other end – most likely Yukiko's mother – had just hung up on her.

"So she's calling you home, huh?" Chie asked, knowing the answer.

"Yeah. But I can ignore it." 'You need me more right now' was left unsaid.

No, no! It's fine! I'll be fine. I'd feel guilty if I got you into trouble with your mom." Chie reassured. Hard to classify it as being reassuring when you're trapping someone in a guilt-based catch-22 but somehow Chie managed it.

"... Are you sure? I could make it up to her some other time..."

Chie actually laughed a little at that. "No you couldn't. She wouldn't let you. Go on, I'll be fine on my own, promise!"

After Yukiko left, offering hurried promises that they would hang out the next day, Chie let the cheerful facade fall. Thankfully, that good-natured grin was the only lie during that conversation. She really was okay on her own. She wasn't looking for comfort, just escape.

Hell, people at school thought she and Yosuke were dating, so she ended up with more people offering kind words (and 'strong manly shoulders to cry on', ugh!) than was necessary.

So it was that she spent the day window shopping, lost in her own little world.

She never saw the car coming.

* * *

"What the? Where am I? What just happened?" Chie wondered aloud. All her stuff was gone and she wasn't in Okina anymore, that was for certain. Though where she was, she couldn't guess. Except maybe it was some kind of feudal reenactment.

"Oh, dear." she heard an old woman mumble before she addressed Chie directly. "Are you alright, dearie? You look lost."

"Umm, I'm sorry. I think I am? I was in Okina shopping and... I don't know how I got here. Or where here is."

The old woman sighed. Such a shame. The girl was so young! "I'm sorry, dear. You passed away. This is the afterlife."

* * *

April 11th 2011

Seta Souji's day was going quite well, all things considered. A mild concussion was all that had gone wrong so far during this move. Worse things had happened during others, after all. The carjacking in Texas, for example.

As he took his seat on the train, he began to wonder what the people he would be staying with for the year would be like. Supposedly they were his family. Well, related by blood, at least. He'd learned long ago that family requires more than that.

His thoughts were interrupted by a pale, dark-haired woman in equally dark robes speaking to him. "Excuse me, do you mind if I sit here?"

Glancing around, Seta noticed there were many seats completely empty. Still, it would be rude to refuse. "No, go ahead.", he answered with a gesture.

"Thank you."

A few minutes into the journey, the woman pulled out a box of what looked like candy. Eating one, she leaned the box in Seta's direction, offering him one.

"Thanks." he said, taking one himself. It tasted vaguely like aniseed and something he couldn't place. Almost instantly he decided he didn't like them but spitting it out would also be rude.

She spoke up again the moment he swallowed as she seemed to write something in the air. "Bakudo #9: Strike!"

Seta's eyes widened as he saw a red glow at her fingertips and a symbol appeared. Suddenly, he found he could no longer move at all. "Ngmnnngm!" Including opening his mouth to speak.

"Ahh. Perfect." She spoke with a self-satisfied smirk on her face. "So I should probably explain why I'm here. I'm what is known as a Soul Reaper. Or I was... Sorry, that's not important and I should really be explaining this faster. So anyway, what Soul Reapers do is basically deal with lost souls and send them on to the afterlife. We're good at it, too. Anyway, there was a war, stuff happened and our forces have been severely depleted. What we need are new recruits. Preferably ones with greater than normal spiritual pressure. That's where you come in, sweetie!

"See, most people can't actually see Soul Reapers. Or lost souls, for that matter. That takes an amount of spiritual sensitivity and that requires spiritual pressure. By seeing me, you've proved you have both."

"That's why I just fed you poison."

If Seta's eyes were capable of widening at that moment, they would have. Instead, he chose to try to fight against whatever force was holding him.

"Oooh! Not bad! You're actually making progress on breaking the seal! I knew using number 9 was the right call. If I used number 1 you'd have broken through it already like Kurosaki did. So glad I read that report. Given another few minutes you could probably break through this, too. Unfortunately you should be losing the strength to fight it in 3... 2... 1..."

Her countdown was off by four seconds. Not that Seta could inform her of that.

Don't worry.", the woman, Soul Reaper, drawled. "You'll be fine! Well... actually, you'll be dead. But fine! And trust me, they'll _love_ you at the academy. Probably try to fast track you so you can take over a Captain position, too. With that training place of Urahara's we could have you eligible in only a few years. Or rather, they could. Argh, sorry! Still getting used to being all 'rogue' and stuff. So far, the hardest part is the pronouns."

_\_Yasoinaba. Next station is: Yasoinaba._\_

"Well, this is my stop!" the woman grinned. "Good luck with the academy! Say 'hi' to Iba for me!" With that, she walked off the train and Seta was left to die alone, unnoticed.

* * *

A/N: Okay, first: HOW HAS NO ONE DONE THIS YET? Seriously! Fits together like a glove! Souls and personas and inner selves and... Oh, wait. That'd be more like a hollow, wouldn't it... Maybe I should re-tool this idea a little...

... NAH! Screw it! Let's see where this idea goes!

So yeah. This is my side project. And for the sake of the story, the arrancar war ended in December 2010. Ichigo is powerless, Aizen is 'contained' (Kubo, if you bring him back for ANY reason I'm gonna find you and kick you in the McNuggets), the Seireitei decimated and the 13 squads are recruiting HARD.

Oh, and it'll be English terms for almost everything. As in 'everything I find a preferrable translation for. Zanpakuto, moves and names might be an exception. Also, no honorifics. The dub didn't use them so neither will I.

Chapter two is already written. It'll be up at the end of the week.

Thanks for reading!


	2. An Attack of Ambition

Soul Society consists of two main areas. An outer ring makes up the Rukongai; the home of all souls who have crossed over. On the inside of that ring sits the Seireitei, the base of operations of the soul reapers. Separating the two areas is a near impenetrable wall broken by gates at the four cardinal directions that are as impenetrable as the wall itself.

Incidentally, it was the same group who proved both systems had flaws.

Seta Souji took in this information but the only part he found important was that he couldn't get into the Seireitei to ask them what the hell they were playing at by killing him. So he headed for the next best thing.

The Rukongai Outreach Program offices.

Started by the Central 46 as a reaction to pressure from the Rukongai population (which could also be accurately described as 'many, _many_ riots'), the program was designed as a way to be seen as addressing the concerns of the Rukongai... without actually doing addressing the concerns of the Rukongai. Politics. Why lift a finger when you can just _look_ like you're lifting a finger for less work and less money?

Still, it was Seta's best option, since he _really_ didn't want to try his luck against that gate guard. So he headed into the southern outreach office and walked purposefully towards the desk.

"Yes?" the desk clerk asked, not bothering to look up from his Sudoku puzzle.

"I'd like to report a murder."

The clerk sighed. "Whose?", he asked in a bored tone.

"Mine."

He sighed again, louder. "Damn new arrivals always thinking we killed them...", the clerk grumbled before looking up. "Look, kid. When a reaper touches your forehead with the hilt of their sword that's called 'konso'. It makes ghosts – that was you – pass over to Soul Society: here. They didn't kill you. You were already dead."

Seta raised an eyebrow. "Oh... kay. That was a fun and informative little lecture. But this one killed me with poison. At least, I assume it was poison, I mean she fed me something and I think she mentioned it was poison. But I didn't exactly stick around to read my own autopsy."

The clerk started to pay a bit more attention on finding out it wasn't the usual 'idiot ghost report'. "And you're sure she was a soul reaper."

"Well... I'm sure she _was_ a reaper. She mentioned she'd gone rogue so I suppose she's not anymore. But she was dressed like you and did this weird glowy writing in the air that stopped me from moving."

That seemed to be all the clerk needed to hear. He walked over to a nearby cage and took out a butterfly which he concentrated on for a few seconds before releasing it out the door.

It was the strangest thing Seta had ever seen. And that very day he had died and woke up in feudal Japan. "Soooo... what's with the butterfly?", he asked, unable to suppress his curiosity.

"Communications. Focus spirit energy on the butterfly, mentally compose a message, picture your target and send."

"Not a fan of cell phones, huh?" Seta asked, not realising the question had been asked dozens of times before.

"It's harder to get them working here. Something to do with spirit particles or... something. I don't know, you'd have to ask the eggheads in the 12th." The clerk shrugged before returning to his desk. "You can wait either in here or just outside. They'll send someone down soon to talk to you."

'Soon' in this case was about a half hour, at which point what appeared to be a twelve year old with white hair and a stern expression wandered into the office. The clerk from before scrambling to his feet and standing at attention was a good tip-off for Seta to be respectful. "C-Captain Hitsugaya, sir! I didn't expect you to handle this personally, sir!", the clerk stammered.

"This has become something of a priority. Mentioning rogue soul reapers has that effect nowadays." the diminutive Captain answered before turning his attention to Seta. "I am Toshiro Hitsugaya, Captain of Squad 10 of the 13 Court Guard Squads. And you are?"

'Someone who wishes he could have as badass an introduction as that.' Seta thought to himself before answering. "Seta Souji. Recently, err, deceased."

Captain Hitsugaya's lip quirked slightly at that. "Yes, the message said as much. It also mentioned a rogue reaper. Perhaps you should tell me what happened from the beginning?"

Seta nodded and gave as full a report as he could manage, trying to pick out details that could be important including a fairly detailed description of the woman. Hard to forget the face of the person who killed you. Especially when they stop to chat about it first.

"Oh, and she said to 'say hi to Iba for her', whoever that is."

Hitsugaya's eyebrows shot up. 'Tetsuzaimon Iba? It might be... I'll leave that out of the report until I speak to him. Wouldn't want to have him branded a traitor based on just that. We've few enough officers as it is. Replacing a Liutenant would be a great deal easier than a Captain but I'm not sure Captain Komamura could take another person he trusts betraying him.'

Putting that thought aside for now and also putting away the notes he'd been taking, Toshiro spoke up now that the report was finished. "Well, thank you for this, Mr. Souji. You may not know this but this is actually the third occurrence of this particular type of attack. Two others with significant spiritual energy arrived with similar stories to yours. Whoever she is, she will be brought to justice for what she has done. But it _is_ worth noting that she never lied to you. As... distasteful as I find it, I have to agree with her that you should take the admissions exam for the Soul Reaper Academy. It's in four days. I can already tell you would pass so it's more a matter of what you would rather do."

"Wouldn't that be... y'know, playing right into her hands?" Seta asked.

"Not if you graduate and hunt her down with the full authority of the 13 Court Guard Squads." Toshiro smirked.

* * *

Yosuke was having a boring day.

Well, not really. It's more like the family he was living with had chosen that day to be a lazy day. Nurturing a strong work ethic with a proper working week is less important when you can expect to 'live' for hundreds of years and it takes far less to sustain you. You could be comfortable eating only once every few days and most people did just that. Yosuke was worried he wouldn't eat meat or fish ever again since animals aren't considered sentient. But it turns out fish do have souls.

And they are delicious!

Still, he was having trouble with the concept of doing nothing. Just sitting around contemplating his deadness was in no way fun. Partially because it made him think of his parents and how they were dealing. It wasn't something he liked to think about and there wasn't much he could do about it anyway.

So that left him not liking lazy days. Also, they were really _really_ boring!

After the third hour watching Yosuke practically bounce off the walls trying to entertain himself they offered a suggestion. The academy admission exam was coming up. Worst case: he fails but it gives him something to do for a few days. Best case: he passes and ends up working his ass off for six years. That might calm him down a little.

* * *

"Get the hell out! You wanna beat up furniture, go join the academy!", a man yelled as he shoved a teenage girl out of his house.

Chie dusted herself off. "Sheesh. You accidentally break three tables and all of a sudden you're not welcome!"

"... Academy, huh? Wonder what they teach."

* * *

A/N: Turns out? I suck at keeping a buffer. I wanted to wait at least until the weekend but I just couldn't do it. Especially when Chapter 3 is done too.

Now, about reviews. I'll let you guys decide. Since I'll almost certainly receive less of them it might be easier to respond through PM. So I could do that or keep the review responses in A/Ns. Your choice, guys. For this chapter, we'll do as we've always done.

**REVIEWS!**

**Astrih Konnash:** First review just should get a response. Even if I haven't much to say. Thanks for reading!

**ZidanReign: **If your review wasn't an insult then I'd be more careful with your phrasing. I honestly can't tell whether it is or not.

**Mr Thumbsup: **I'll be writing the story so people not especially familiar with the material will still be able to read it comfortably. To answer your question: Probably not. That's why Seta's murderer has supposedly gone rogue.

**Xafnir: **Nope. No Persona canon happened. In fact, I'll be taking that even further than you've seen so far.

**Lord of Murder:** YOU ARE STRANGE AMONG YOUR KIN- sorry. Can't help quoting Baldur's Gate whenever I see your name. Modernising the Rukongai wouldn't work. Explaining why will be in a later chapter.

**Absolute Destinyzero: **This is FEShadow Seta. Making another version specially for this fic would be just asking to get the two confused down the line. His backstory is the same, he just never got to Inaba.

Well, that's that. Chapter 2 done. Now I just have to restrain myself from posting Chapter 3. Just 3 days. I can handle 3 days, can't I?

Thanks for reading!


	3. A Test of Strength

April 14th 2011

"I hereby call this meeting of the Captains of the 13 Court Guard Squads to order." Head Captain Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto announced, banging his cane on the floor to reinforce his words.

All acting and full Captains were in attendance in the Captain's meeting hall in the Squad 1 barracks, meaning the room at that moment held the most powerful men and women currently in Soul Society.

"First on the agenda is the Central 46's proposal for how to fill our three available Captain positions. With the discovery of Kisuke Urahara's bankai training ground, they have put forward the recommendation that we establish a temporary advanced class in the academy, what they call a 'fast track' into Captain level strength."

Reactions to this were varied but almost universally strong. Mayuri Kurotsuchi, Captain of Squad 12 and professional mad scientist, thought it a fascinating experiment into the breaking points of new recruits. Kenpachi Zaraki, Captain of Squad 11 and violent madman was overjoyed at the thought of new sparring partners who wouldn't just soil themselves in his presence. The ever-maternal Retsu Unohana of Squad 4 thought it horrifying that the Central 46 wanted to put kids fresh out of the academy into that kind of dangerous training.

Toshiro Hitsugaya of Squad 10, however, was not uncharacteristically quiet. Mostly because he found it strange that the Central 46 would suggest putting academy students forward for Captain positions when a murderer was said to have the exact same thoughts.

"Silence!" Yamamoto boomed, quelling the arguing at once. "I happen to agree that this plan is foolish, Captain Unohana. However, it remains that those we know fulfil the requirements of a Captain refuse to take the position. I assume that has not changed, Captain Kuchiki?"

Byakuya Kuchiki, Captain of Squad 6 and head of the noble Kuchiki clan shook his head. "It has not. My Lieutenant, Renji Abarai, continues to insist that he is not yet ready to take the position. I happen to agree, but I doubt my reasoning and his are the same."

Yamamoto nodded. "And none of our Lieutenants are willing to go through Urahara's training program. We need those positions filled and soon, so it seems the Central 46's proposal is, in fact, our best option."

"Next on the agenda: the recent murders in the living world. Captain Hitsugaya, if you would give your report?"

* * *

April 15th 2011

"So any idea what to expect from this exam?" Seta asked his new acquaintance. His name was Yosuke Hanamura and apparently he also died recently.

Months ago still counts as recently when two hundred isn't even considered middle-aged.

"Nah. I asked around but no one who knew would tell me. You?"

Seta shrugged. "Vague idea at best. This Hitsugaya guy seemed pretty much convinced I'd pass and the only thing he knows about me is I have high spirit energy. So it'd have to do with that somehow. Maybe they just test for that. Or maybe we have to channel it somehow?"

The area around the South Gate was severely crowded on the day of the academy admissions exam. Dozens, maybe hundreds were standing around waiting to have their chance at joining the ranks of the 13 Court Guard Squads, spending their afterlife making a difference and maybe getting a decent paycheck out of it too.

Also, swords are cool. Most of the younger applicants were focusing on that.

A series of loud bangs silenced the mumblings of the crowd. The gate guard who previously had been content to keep to one side unless someone moved towards the gate took this as his cue, walking to the gate and opening it purely on his own power. Considering the 'gate' in question is basically a small segment of the giant wall separated from the rest of it and therefore – technically – a method of entry, many of the applicants were suddenly thanking whatever deity listening at the time that they hadn't antagonised the guy in any way.

Except that one guy who'd tried to get in early. He was practically wetting himself at this point.

Through the open gate walked what looked like a young girl with dark hair tied in a bun and wearing a badge on the arm of her standard reaper attire. Stopping in front of the assembled crowd, she cleared her throat and spoke with as much authority as she could manage. "I am Momo Hinamori, acting Captain of Squad 5 of the 13 Court Guard Squads. If you'll follow me to the testing facility, we can get underway."

Seta could tell it was something of an unspoken rule in Soul Society that you do whatever a Captain tells you. There wasn't much of an aura of command about the acting Captain but that didn't stop the crowd from doing exactly as she'd said without question or comment.

As the march went on, the murmurs of conversation came back, letting Yosuke and Seta get a little background on Squad 5. From what they could pick out, the Captain of Squad 5, Sousuke Aizen, betrayed Soul Society and took two other captains (Squads 3 and 9) with him. All three of them were killed in the war, leaving their positions vacant since none able to fill them were willing.

Supposedly, none of the Lieutenants of those squads were capable of taking full Captaincy of their squads. It seemed like the logical course of action to Seta and Yosuke, but apparently the squads require something specific from Captains.

* * *

Upon nearing the very centre of the Seireitei, the applicants from the South Gate were merged with three other groups originating from the three other gates, bringing the total number of applicants close to 400. Two groups were led by someone in a white cloak (and since Hitsugaya was one of them, Seta figured that was the attire of a full Captain) while the third had a badge like Hinamori.

As the now much larger crowd reached their destination, the Captain with the particularly elaborate hairstyle spoke quietly but still managed to be heard by everyone in attendance. "This is the testing centre. Inside are twenty rooms. Each of you will enter one of these rooms and submit yourselves to the tests necessary to determine whether you are capable of becoming a soul reaper. When your test is complete, head to the adjacent building where successful applicants will be called. If you fail, you may retake the test next year. Any questions will be addressed by Captain Hitsugaya." With that, he moved to one side and stood there as though made of stone. The only clue that he wasn't was his hair moving in the breeze.

There was only one question. "What's the test involve?" And Hitsugaya refused to answer it.

With that, the testing began, applicants filing into the building one by one. Seta and Yosuke headed through and into the rooms marked 17 and 19, respectively. Inside his room, Seta found a soul reaper woman with red hair framing her face and a reassuring smile. She figured with everyone being all hush-hush about the tests the applicants are gonna be on edge. She didn't even know why the higher ups insist on that. The tests aren't even dangerous!

Well... maybe once in a while they are.

"Hi! I'm your examiner. Now the test really isn't as bad as they make it sound." she said. "First, just write down your basic information on this scroll. Just your name, date of birth and date of death."

Seta did so, pausing only slightly to think on how odd it was to write your own date of death, then handed the scroll back to the examiner.

"Alright then", she checked the scroll, "Seta!" She did a double-take at the date of death. "Wow. Four days? Guess you're really eager, huh?"

"You could say that." he answered.

"Okay. Well, now for the actual test." The examiner pulled out what looked like a crystal ball and handed it to Seta. "This device is something we use to channel spiritual energy. It's called a spirit core. They can be used for all sorts of stuff but this one is specifically tailored to test the capacity of new applicants. Now, I want you to close your eyes and take deep, calming breaths." Seta complied, figuring this was some sort of meditation thing. The examiner continued in soothing tones so as not to break his concentration. "In... Out... In... Out... Good. Now... picture a circle in your mind... dark and heavy... Picture yourself diving into that circle... Can you feel your spirit energy?"

"Yes." Seta answered, monotone.

"Good. Now send that energy down your arms, into your hands and into the sphere. As much as possible." The spirit core began to glow faintly, then grew brighter. "Good, keep going." Sweat started to bead on Seta's forehead. The colour of the glow changed from a light blue to a vibrant yellow and the examiner noted the colour. "If you can, keep going." This was the point where most new applicants would stop on their own, the strain of using all of that energy leaving them exhausted.

Seta wasn't done yet.

The yellow glow became so bright the light filled the room, making it hard to see. However, the dead silence meant that for the examiner, a faint cracking sound was clearly audible. "Ah, damn it! DISPOSAL!", she yelled. "Seta, stop. You need to stop. Now."

Seta complied, letting go of his spirit energy and opening his eyes, only to close them again when the glowing sphere proved too much for them. Another soul reaper slammed the door open and took the spirit core from Seta's hands, depositing it inside a stone box, and sealing it inside.

The sound of the explosion trapped in that box was akin to a grenade, leaving those in the room temporarily deaf and informing the Captains outside of what just happened.

* * *

As soon as he spotted Seta walking through the door, Yosuke ran up to him looking slightly panicked. "Dude! Did you hear that explosion? What _was_ that?"

"Uhh, my bad? I think I might've failed the exam." Seta answered, sullen.

"That was _you_?"

"Yeah." Seta answered, running a hand through his hair. "My spirit core cracked so they put it in this box that apparently contains the explosion until you open it. Energy has to go somewhere, right? They said they'll deal with it and not to worry about it."

It was another half hour (and one more explosion) before the testing ended and all of the applicants watched full of anticipation as the Captains entered the room carrying containers filled with scrolls.

The blond acting Captain, Izuru Kira, stepped forward. "I will now announce the names of the successful applicants. Those assigned to Class 1 are to follow Captain Hitsugaya," he pointed at the short, white-haired Captain, "Class 2 with Captain Kuchiki", the fancy-haired Captain, "and Class 3 with acting Captain Hinamori. If your name is not called, I wish you luck for next year." And with that, he started to read off names and class assignments. "Taro Namatame, Class 2."

Dozens of names were called, all for Classes 2 and 3. Eventually Kira announced, "the following names will be assigned to Advanced Class 1. Yosuke Hanamura."

"Yes!" Yosuke exclaimed, practically dancing to his assigned Captain.

A short while and a few names later. "Tohru Adachi."

"Seriously? I thought if I broke the thing... Eh, alright, then!"

"Chie Satonaka."

"WHAT?" Yosuke yelled, before seeing the girl in question stomp up to him, and then on his foot. "OW! What the hell, Chie?"

"Why didn't you tell me you were here?"

"Why didn't you tell me you were _dead_?"

"Oh, that is _just_ like you-"

"A-HEM." Kira pointedly cleared his throat to get their attention (and tell them to shut up). Upon seeing they were suitably chastened, he continued. "Seta Souji."

Seta's reaction was more reserved than most others, simply walking over to his soon-to-be classmates and calmly giving Yosuke a high-five.

After finishing the list, Kira addressed the unsuccessful applicants again. "If you wish to take the exam again next year, you are welcome to. I must ask that you now leave the Seireitei in an orderly fashion. In three hours Squad 11 will begin rounding up stragglers and ejecting them by force. Thank you."

There was really no need for him to keep talking. At the mention of Squad 11 the crowd suddenly decided they wanted to be somewhere – anywhere – else. No one who knew anything about Squad 11 could blame them.

* * *

A/N: Sorry. I goofed in the last chapter. Iba is Komamura's Lieutenant, not acting Captain of Squad 9. My bad. Fixed now.

So you guys probably figured out the other two victims now, eh? Heheh. Yeahhhh. That Adachi. So I've got no solid plans for where this is actually going so I'll be doing a bit of planning for a while. See where I want to take this. Meantime, I'll be back on FEShadow next.

No one actually said whether they wanted a change in response style. So...

**REVIEWS!**

**Lord of Murder:** I think I'll let up on the quotes for now. There aren't many Bhaal quotes to use anyway. No plot attacks planned. Hell, no real plot planned, for that matter.

**Xafnir:** I haven't checked with Sam whether I can use his characters. But if I did, well, the Naoto thing wouldn't really matter for reasons you'll find out later.

**Gamerof1458: **Damn. You figured me out. Partially.

**MagnusRagnar: **The Captains will be showing up often. Class 1 is supposed to include three future Captains so they need to be trained by the best. I forget, who was the best swordsman in the Bleachverse? Heheheheheh... Yeah, that'll be fun.

**Absolute Destinyzero: **That is indeed a weird feeling to have. As for Thanatos... We might find out if I ever end up doing a sequel to this. Won't come up here.

Alright. Back to my main fic I go. See you guys when I gots me some plans.

Thanks for reading.


	4. A Chance for Power

April 29th 2011

Two weeks had passed since the entrance exam to the soul reaper academy and most of the students were starting to get a feel for how they were going to spend the next six years of their afterlives. Some were taking to it like a duck to water.

"So tired... Can't lift... arms."

Others, not so much.

"Chie. Help. Feed me." Yosuke whined, still making a show of being so drained he couldn't even lift his chopsticks.

Chie, always one to find a practical – if somehow violent – solution to a problem, reached over and shoved his face into his bowl. "There. Much better, right?"

The sounds of eating coming from Yosuke implied his agreement with her assessment.

In fairness to Yosuke, it _had_ been a particularly gruelling two weeks since the exam. The curriculum for the academy included four major subjects. The first, known simply as 'History', focused on what the Soul Society is, was, why it exists and everything a reaper needs to know so that it continues to exist. The second, 'Zanjutsu', taught the art of wielding a zanpakuto, initially the sealed sword and eventually the first release form. The third, 'Hakuda', taught a hand-to-hand combat style taught to all soul reapers. The fourth and final subject, 'Kido' taught how to channel spirit energy for various purposes, offense, defense, restraining and healing in particular. All four subjects were taught for two hours each day at varying times. Since two of the subjects were almost entirely physical and a third also involved a great deal of exertion, it wouldn't be surprising to anyone to find most students exhausted at the end of every day.

And of course, the advanced class were expected to excel in everything. Many in said class were contemplating whether being acknowledged for their talent was worth the torture.

And so the cafeteria was filled with students trying to maintain their composure during dinner before falling to blissful unconsciousness in their rooms.

"So how'd you two get so good at Hakuda so fast anyway?" Seta asked Chie and Adachi. Only Taro called Adachi by his first name; Tohru. The former police officer just seemed to rub everyone else the wrong way somehow.

He was just so... chipper, about everything.

"Well about half of what they're teaching us is subduing a human sized opponent. That's something we got some training in on the force. Beating down monsters bare-handed is a little more outside my wheelhouse." Adachi answered.

"And studying martial arts was my passion when I was alive." Chie added.

Talking about how they'd died was still a sore spot for their little group of five until about a week previous. One day they just decided to talk it out with each other and... mourn themselves, in a sense. Wondering what they missed out on, how people were coping with their death.

Yosuke was mostly concerned about his parents. They were the only ones who really cared about him. Sure, he'd had a crush on that girl from work but he'd not actually gotten up the courage to talk to her so he doubted she knew he existed. And the only real friend he had was sitting next to him crying about how alone Yukiko must be feeling.

Seta couldn't really think of anyone in particular who might miss him. All he could think of was maybe a news headline: 'Corporate heir dies in mysterious circumstances'. His dad would probably mourn their lowering stock prices more than him.

Taro didn't think there would be anyone left to mourn him. Adachi told him before he'd died he was investigating Mayumi Yamano's death, the woman Taro was having an affair with and had fallen in love with. Taro hoped one day he might find her in the Rukongai somewhere and they could be together again. Then he'd berate himself for thinking he was living in a fairytale.

Adachi didn't really care. So he lightened the mood by crying exaggeratedly over his dog, Snuffles.

The end result of that night was that, even if they weren't completely okay with the concept of being dead, they were getting used to the idea. And could talk about it openly without breaking down.

"So what do you guys think that announcement tomorrow will be about?" Adachi asked. They'd been told that after classes the advanced class were to gather in the academy courtyard when their classes finished the next day for an announcement from the Head Captain.

Yosuke raised his head from his bowl, grains of rice dotting his face and a piece of beef up his nose. "If Yamamoto is making it it must be a big deal. I asked one of the third years, Sanada? He said nothing like that happened during his first year." He covered his unobstructed nostril and blew the piece of beef out the other and onto the table. Chie immediately shoved him off of the bench in disgust.

* * *

April 30th 2011

The first year advanced class mumbled to each other as they waited in the courtyard. That stopped all at once as they caught sight of the reason they were all there.

Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto was over two thousand years old and looking at him you could see every second of it weighing him down. But if what the class had learned about the last war was true, most of that was a facade. As the Head Captain of the 13 Court Guard Squads, he was the single most powerful man both physically and politically within Soul Society. And never to be underestimated because of his appearance. Following on his left was his faithful lieutenant, Chojiro Sasakibe. On his right, Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya. As he neared the small crowd of students he banged his gnarled cane on the ground and, almost on instinct, the group seemed to move into a formation. He stopped and seemed to stare at the group in front of him without actually opening his eyes. From what they'd learned of sensing spirit energy in their kido classes, it was doubtful he needed to.

"Some of you may be aware, the designation of 'advanced class' has been added onto your class. You may also be aware that this designation was not given to any class of students who came before you. The reason for this is your class has been made part of a plan for the 13 Court Guard Squads to recover from the losses we suffered during the war.

"It is our hope that among you may be three gifted students who may one day take the vacant Captain positions."

Several pairs of eyes landed on both Seta and Adachi. It had become common knowledge amongst their classmates that 'gifted' certainly applied to those two.

Yamamoto continued, "In order for you to meet the requirements of claiming the rank of Captain, you must be capable of your zanpakuto's bankai release. Under normal circumstances, this would take a decade of training, minimum. And that is _after_ achieving shikai. However, a procedure has come to light that can grant you a bankai release if you complete it within the time limit of three days. This procedure is dangerous and highly experimental, having only been successful twice since its invention. We cannot force you to make the attempt so it shall be your choice. As the first class of your year, you will already be pressed to excel and one day take on officer positions, regardless. Thus you will have your six years of training to decide whether to push yourselves yet further.

That is all."

And it was. Yamamoto and his subordinates immediately turned and walked away, going back to whatever duties they would normally be performing, leaving a stunned group of students behind them.

The four, Yosuke, Chie, Seta and Adachi looked at each other before all saying at once:

"I'm in."

* * *

A/N: Yo! Another chapter from me! Aren't you excited? So this is mostly going to be an academy fic. How some of our protagonists managed to find a shortcut to power. If I'm still into it enough for a sequel then we'll get to some funky plot threads. Also, some of you Persona fans may have spotted a name. Heeheehee...

**REVIEWS**

**Duke of Games**: No, I really did mean Iba. Just got his position wrong. And Hitsugaya said two others were murdered like Seta, who else did you think it was gonna be? =D

**Patcheresu**: That would be telling. Look forward to third year.

**ToAruLongConfusingName**: I think the question should be 'Would Adachi find a reason to betray Soul Society?'. I mean they're offering him a chance at power and he wouldn't be the first psychopath Captain. Or even the fourth.

Reviews done.

Thanks for reading.


	5. A Day of Learning

May 21st 2011

**HISTORY**

"Alright, then class. Today, we'll be looking at the 13 Court Guard Squads individually, who they are and what they do. I suggest you pay attention. What you learn today will undoubtedly prove vital in deciding which squad you will join upon graduation a few years from now. We'll go in descending order."

"First, we have Squad 13. Captain: Jushiro Ukitake, one of the first two students to ever attend the academy. Currently, they have no Lieutenant, but that is expected to change fairly soon. The duty assigned to Squad 13 is strategy and planning. Ukitake may not show it, but he has an incredibly keen mind when it comes to achieving long-term goals."

"Next, Squad 12. Also known as the Research and Development Division. Their Captain, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, has... a poor reputation. Deservedly so. Yet his knowledge and intelligence is near unrivalled among soul reapers. His predecessor, Kisuke Urahara is presumed to be one of the very, _very_ few people who are smarter than him. His Lieutenant is Nemu Kurotsuchi, his... daughter? I think? Odd, the book doesn't say. Anyway, while I would never recommend volunteering as a test subject, those with an interest in the science of souls would do well in this division."

"Squad 11. Also known as the Zaraki Squad, for their Captain: Kenpachi Zaraki. This squad is unique in several ways. First, it is the only squad whose Captain does _not_ have a Bankai. The 11th is known to have the fiercest combatants and as such, succession of leadership is always a trial by combat. While Zaraki does not have a Bankai, it would seem he is strong enough not to need one. His Lieutenant is Yachiru Kusajishi. If you value your life, never ask why. The 11th's specific duty is that of first response. If there is a major incident in the living world, It is almost always the 11th that goes in first. Those who join this squad should expect the hardest fighting and as I'm sure the Captain would say: 'weaklings need not apply'. Also, there is a certain stigma in the 11th against kido users and those with kido-based zanpakuto. If you apply regardless, do not say you weren't warned."

"Squad 10. Captain is Toshiro Hitsugaya, currently the youngest Captain of the Court Guard Squads. A prodigy some expect will become one of the most powerful reapers in soul society within a century. His Lieutenant is Rangiku Matsumoto... gehehehehhhehh, nice... Err, sorry. The 10th are tasked with reconnaissance. Investigating unusual situations before they have time to develop into significant dangers to the living world."

"Squad 9. Currently lacking a Captain after the defection and subsequent death of Kaname Tousen, may he rot in Hell. Lieutenant and Acting Captain is Shuhei Hisagi. There are in fact two duties assigned to the 9th. The first is the officially assigned task of policing the Rukongai. Kaname Tousen almost entirely ignored this duty, likely thinking it pointless to stop 'violators of justice from destroying each other' or some such rot. Thankfully, Lieutenant Hisagi seems to be doing a fine job correcting this considering his experience. In lacking for anything to do during Tousen's captaincy, the rank and file also started a newspaper that has been quite successful. Those interested in either of those areas should consider Squad 9."

"Squad 8. Captained by Shunsui Kyouraku, the other of the first academy students. Despite his laid-back attitude, he is a remarkably shrewd man and likely only second in power to Head Captain Yamamoto. His Lieutenant is Ise Nanao, the exact opposite of her Captain, personality-wise, and also a kido expert. The 8th are in charge of keeping up morale and maintaining the mental health of the squads."

"Squad 7. Captained by Saijin Komamura, a... giant fox-man. Oh, for God's sake lower your hands! This is going to happen every damn year, isn't it? No, I don't know how that happened, no I don't know where he came from, no I don't know how the living world never heard of a giant fox-man since he's clearly lived for a couple decades at least! Maybe he's one of that psycho Kurotsuchi's experiments, I DON'T BLOODY KNOW! … Oh, I'm so getting fired for that. Err, moving on. His Lieutenant is Tetsuzaemon Iba. They maintain the Seireitei. Next!"

"Squad 6. Captained by Byakuya Kuchiki, current head of the noble Kuchiki clan. He is a strict man with high standards when it comes to etiquette and following orders. His Lieutenant is Renji Abarai, the only Lieutenant in possession of a Bankai, even if it needs work. Apparently, despite meeting the requirements, he and his Captain agree he isn't ready to take over one of the vacant Captain positions. The 6th deal mainly with diplomacy and politics, hence it being Captained almost exclusively by the head or at least a member of the Kuchiki."

"Squad 5. Currently lacking a Captain after Sousuke Aizen proved himself the most deplorable creature in existence. The Lieutenant and Acting Captain is Momo Hinamori. Their focus is on teaching and recruitment and are heavily involved in the running of this academy."

"Squad 4. Captained by Retsu Unohana. Despite being renowned as the best healer in the squads, she is feared by near every reaper, even and perhaps _especially_ by the 11th. A life and afterlife lesson: never piss off your doctor. They know how to make it hurt most. Her Lieutenant is Isane Kotetsu. The 4th are the medical division. As such, they are rarely sent on missions except in that capacity. There are very few combat focused members of the 4th and their duty is always to guard the medics while they do their thing."

"Squad 3. Formerly Captained by Gin Ichimaru, who will go down in history as one of their greatest heroes for hunting the traitor Aizen himself, and coming oh so close to succeeding! The Lieutenant and Acting Captain is Izuru Kiba. The focus of the 3rd is hunting the more dangerous hollows. To clarify, dangerous does not mean strong. Dangerous means _smart_. The ones that can escape normal squads and ambush the unwary. Those looking for challenges but not so much for the berserker attitude of the 11th may find a home here."

"Squad 2. Also known as the Punishment Force. Captained by Soi Fon. A master of stealth and hand-to-hand. Her Lieutenant is Marechiyo Omaeda... for some reason. The 2nd are the Internal Affairs of the Seireitei, investigating crimes of soul reapers, arresting them and holding them both before and after sentencing."

"Squad 1. Captained by Head Captain Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto himself. He is Head Captain for many reasons. Never underestimate him. His Lieutenant is Chojiro Sasakibe. The 1st's duty is mostly administrative. Handing down orders from the Head Captain to the other squads, assigning missions, and general administrivia to keep the Seireitei running smoothly."

**KIDO**

Seta always enjoyed kido lessons. It helped that he was good at it. It seemed to not take much for him to get in tune with his spirit energy, and having a lot of it meant his stamina for this subject was near limitless considering the elementary subject matter the first year lessons covered.

It also helped that the teacher was the cute redhead who handled his entrance exam.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen! It's the day you've been waiting for!" the kido teacher, Megumi-sensei, announced. "We've handled the basics of channelling your spirit energy and its more mundane uses. Today, we have our first lesson on..."

The class leaned forward in anticipation.

"Bakudo!"

And then groaned in disappointment.

"What? Did you think we were gonna do Hado right off the bat? I'd rather keep you guys un-exploded, thanks." she spoke with a smirk. "Now, first things first. As you should all know by now, Bakudo is the binding branch of Kdo, restraining a target with non-lethal means. Squads 2 and 9 are expected to have at least some amount of expertise in this branch, restraining without killing being a vital skill for them. Squad 3 also have a soft spot for this skill so they can stop their targets long enough to land a killing blow. That method is also useful for all-purpose missions you'd find on any squad. Bakudo. Useful. Got it?"

There were nods from the class. Some more grudging than others.

"Good." she smiled and started pacing in front of the class. "Now we're going to practice the most basic of the basic today. This is your first lesson after all. What I'm going to teach you is this." she said, as she abruptly stopped pacing. Spinning on one foot, she swept an arm across the class, pointing with index and middle finger. "Bakudo #1! Sai!", she announced.

As one, the whole class felt their arms held behind their backs by an invisible force. A few, Chie among them, panicked and tried to break free by physical means but most maintained at least the presence of mind to break it with spiritual energy. Seta, having already nearly succeeded in doing this with a stronger Bakudo purely on instinct, was the first to get free. One by one, the others managed to release themselves.

The teacher pursed her lips. "Hm. Not bad. Incidentally, there are two ways to escape a Bakudo. The first is to brute force it. You," she pointed to Seta, "you, you, you, you and those of you who panicked at first, used this method. It's just flooding the binding with enough spiritual energy to overload it, known as breaking it. You guys used the other method." she continued, indicating the rest of the class, including Yosuke and Adachi. "That way is to study and unravel the bindings bit by bit until they fall apart. Unsurprisingly, it's called unravelling. Both methods have advantages and disadvantages. Breaking is your best bet if you've never studied how to get free from that specific Bakudo before. Problem is it's costly for your energy reserves, especially for the higher level ones. There are even some where breaking simply _does not work_. Unravelling takes time, but do it once you can do it again faster next time. It doesn't take as much energy and – in theory – there's a method to unravel every Bakudo out there, though some have never been tested."

"Now, what you're going to do is partner up and take turns casting and escaping from Sai. I assume you've been studying it and know how to do it? Good! Begin!"

**ZANJUTSU**

"Alright, kiddies! We're gonna do somethin' a little different today from the usual 'you guys wail on each other with your asauchi for an hour until I get bored and join in'." Makizo Aramaki, or 'Makimaki-sensei' shouted. "What we're gonna start on today is gettin' you guys in touch with your zanpakuto. Normally we'd wait until your third year before even _thinkin' _ about that but... well, we're on a timetable here. So what's gonna happen is I'm gonna show ya the basics of this meditation crap for about an hour... Then we'll go back to the beating the crap out of each other thing. Any questions?"

No one said anything. The advanced class had long ago learned asking Makimaki-sensei questions usually just got you bonked on the head repeatedly until you either changed your mind or fell unconscious (usually the latter. Makimaki had a habit of accidentally doing that).

"Good!" Makimaki smiled. Then started playing with his moustache. "Now, the thing is... It's been a while since I had to do that crap so I'm a little fuzzy on the details but... The first thing you wanna do is sit in the lotus position and lay your asauchi across your lap. That's gonna be _your_ zanpakuto someday. So treat it with respect! Now, next is that whole meditation thing. You need to be all calm and serene and all that stuff those old guys yammer on about that no one gives a damn about."

It was suddenly clear that Makimaki-sensei was probably _not_ the best choice to teach them about meditating on their zanpakuto. Still, as promised, they spent the hour working on the meditation exercises that he remembered from when he was a student. And while they were described with more... interesting language than you might expect, they were accurate for what they needed to do.

Then Makimaki got bored and dropkicked Adachi in the face.

**HAKUDA**

Despite how interesting the rest of the day had been for the advanced class, Hakuda class still had one more fun twist in store.

"Alright." the instructor, a middle-aged looking man with a receding hairline began. "To start off, we're going to have a little demonstration today. Satonaka, Adachi. You two are going to have a friendly spar. But don't pull your punches. Don't worry we have a medic on hand." he added, indicating the timid, blue-haired kid in the corner. "I know, he doesn't look like much but what did you expect? He's a medic. Trust me, he knows his stuff."

After a moment of preparation, the stage was set for the spar between the two top hakuda students in the class, the two already in their stances.

"BEGIN!"

Chie, knowing Adachi to be more the type to hold back and study his opponent, made the first move, rushing at Adachi and sending a flurry of punches his way. Adachi blocked most of them, only dodging out of the way when he felt he couldn't get a block up in time. While Adachi was physically tougher, he couldn't possibly match her speed. Even if she was holding back.

And he knew, so far, she was.

He knew her fighting style by now. He knew that her greatest strength was her legs; kicking power that was devastating if you weren't careful. The never ending rain of fists was nothing more than a tiring distraction until she decided to really make her move.

On the other hand, Chie _knew_ that Adachi knew. So her plan of distracting him before making a real move wasn't really her plan at all. Instead she planned to keep it up until he got frustrated and fought back.

But wait, what if he _knew_ that she knew that he knew? Then the plan would be ruined!

Having effectively psyched herself out, Chie made her move. First with a leg sweep that Adachi jumped backwards out of the way of. Then with a few high arcing kicks aimed at his upper torso. Adachi, having expected this to happen soon, made his own move, grabbing onto one of her legs mid-kick and stopping her cold.

She knew Adachi now had the advantage but she refused to let him keep it. Twisting herself in the other direction, she tried to use her other leg to kick him away. To her surprise, her desperate attack worked, catching him in the side with enough force to make him instinctively let go of her. However, since she really wasn't expecting that to work, she wasn't prepared for when it did and fell to the mat, facing away from Adachi.

Now, if their positions were reversed, Chie would probably let Adachi get up and the spar would continue. Adachi wasn't interested in that kind of chivalrous attitude.

And neither was the instructor.

He was training them in a martial art, yes. But as part of a _military_ force. Honour and fair play are nice feel-good concepts and certainly have their place.

But he'd been on the Punishment Force. He'd seen 'people' – if you could call them that – who didn't _deserve_ the chance for a fair fight. You took them down, whatever means necessary.

So when Adachi quick-stepped over to Chie's downed form and kicked her hard in the stomach, the instructor called the fight over and proclaimed Adachi the winner.

"Satonaka, go see the medic but make sure you see this next part. I think you'll like it." 'Sure, she lost. Doesn't mean she can't enjoy a little schadenfreude of her own.', the instructor thought. "Adachi, you stay there. Next, I'm going to show you how that fight _could_ have gone." He walked on to the mat and faced Adachi. "Begin." he said calmly. Then slowly approached Adachi.

Adachi was not an idiot. Facing the instructor had not exactly been on his to-do list. Still, if he was going to lose, he was damn well going to see how badly he would lose.

Not like the instructor would kill him, right?

As the instructor got halfway to striking distance, Adachi got ready to study how the guy fought. If you're going to study a fighter, study a good one, right?

That plan went out the window when the first punch broke his forearm.

Everything slowed down as, with dawning horror, Adachi realised his other arm moved to block the next punch on reflex.

This just _wasn't_ his day.

"AUUUUAAAAGGGHHH!" Adachi screamed in pain, both arms having an extra bend in them.

"Go see the medic." the instructor told him calmly before addressing the class. In the background, Hanataro Yamada could be seen running over to re-set the breaks before applying healing kido.

_Not_ his day.

"Class, that is what happens when you use spirit energy to enhance your blows. This technique is pretty much the only way you can fight hollows using Hakuda. Now I'll go over quick how you do this and then you'll spend the rest of this class practicing on those training dummies over there. Got it?"

**EVENING**

"I think that might've been the best day I've had since I got here." Yosuke mused aloud.

"Planning for the future, cool new skills, first step to cool new swords and watching Adachi get his arms broken? What's not to love?" Seta agreed. "Here's to more of the same tomorrow!"

"Here's hoping!"

"'Night, bro."

"'Night."

"groan"

"Shut up, Adachi."

* * *

A/N: Man I had fun with this chapter. Lots and lots of fun. Surprisingly difficult to pin down roles for each of the squads, you know. Props to beta Feith for helping on that front. Props to beta Feith in general since I've neglected to give him his deserved props for betaness so far. Shame on me!

**REVIEWS!**

**ToAruLongConfusingName**: Western style would be Souji Seta if I was using the manga name. Which I'm not. I'm using the name SamJaz gave to _my_ version of him, thus Seta Souji in western naming style. Not bad guesses on the assignments but the roles I've given them blows those theories out of the water. Also, don't assume the current Captains will stay in the same squads. As for the rest of the P4 cast, next chapter. We're timeskipping a bit.

**Kigita**: I've more or less pinned down what Seta's zanpakuto will be. How it works is taking some thought but it'll make sense. But it won't be like a Wild Card zanpakuto, I'll say that much.

Reviews done.

Next chapter we have a look at how the living world is doing while the gang get their training on. TIMESKIPS!

Thanks for reading!


	6. A Flurry of Fatalities

April 29th 2011

Yukiko Amagi was depressed.

It should come as no surprise. The two people that the heiress of the Amagi Inn could call anything close to friends she had lost in the most permanent way. To say the last three months had been hard would be an impressive understatement. Just over a month after Chie's funeral, Yukiko was desperate for an escape from the unending despair and loneliness and threw herself into work. Any time outside of school hours was spent working at the inn. Cleaning, tending to guests, anything but cooking (any attempt at learning that particular skillset failed horribly, allowing the walls around her repressed emotions to crack, something that just could not be allowed). Her mother was ecstatic. Finally! The girl was taking her obligations seriously!

So it was that on the 29th of April under a cloudy sky, Yukiko had stopped on her way home at Tatsumi Textiles to pick up the newly repaired pillowcases that one of their more regular guests 'just _had_ to have' in his room. Some of their guests were just too picky!

On her way to the bus stop by the shopping district, package in hand, Yukiko heard someone call her name, a voice she'd heard before but couldn't place. Nasal and cracking as only the voice of a boy who had not quite finished puberty could be. "Hey! Yuki!"

As she got a look at the boy calling out to her she was sorely tempted to start cursing under her breath. 'Him again', she thought.

Mitsuo Kubo was a boy she had met a couple of weeks previous. 'Met' in the sense that he started stalking her. There really wasn't another word for it. The first time he had asked her out outside of the school he refused to take 'no' for an answer, following her practically the whole way home. From that day he would show up every couple of days, somehow deluding himself that they were in a relationship. 'That settles it,' she decided. 'Tomorrow I'm going to the police for a restraining order.'

The feeling of something piercing the flesh of her back interrupted her thoughts. Her face showed clearly the shock she felt. Trying to turn and see her attacker she started to feel the strength leave her legs, causing her to fall in an awkward twisting motion.

Even so, as she turned in the direction the attack came from, she saw no one.

"Y-Yuki?... What's..." Mitsuo noticed the blood starting to pool and the knife stuck in her back. "YUKI!" he cried, rushing forward and pulling the knife out. He wasn't aware that was a terrible idea.

Even if the knife hadn't already punctured her heart, the blade's vicious serrated edge shredding anything it came in contact with.

Two minutes later, three before the ambulance arrived, Yukiko Amagi was gone.

June 5th 2011

Kanji Tatsumi was... concerned.

It was a strange new emotion for him. Or at least one long buried. But recent events seemed to have reawakened it for him.

First there was the Hanamura's kid. Yusuke or something. That was one hell of a freak accident! Sure, sorting through knives is dangerous but seriously, what are the chances of one going straight through the eye! It's a weak spot, sure, but less than an inch in any direction and it'd bounce off your skull. Would leave a nasty scar but you'd live. But no! Straight through the eye!

Then there was his friend. Kanji had forgotten her name and had to admit her death wasn't suspicious aside from being less than a week after Hanamura's.

Then that famous kid. The one that was in the paper. Died on the train just as it stopped in town, some weird stuff in his system. That alone got his suspiciouns going again.

But Amagi! She was a good person! Wouldn't hurt a fly! But then that Kubo freak comes along and stabs her! What the crap was that about?

So was that it? Had Kubo killed them all? Didn't seem likely. Especially the kid on the train since Kubo'd have to have been on the train with him. And that made no sense. Still, the psycho bastard was behind bars now, where he belonged.

Didn't mean Kanji was letting his guard down. Somebody was offing people and he was _not_ gonna be next! No way!

And then a bottle flew through his open window and smashed on the floor, bathing the room in flames.

"... God dammit." Kanji muttered. "Grandma! We gotta get outta here! The house is on fire!"

"... God dammit." he, again, muttered as he got outside. Molotov came through his window. That means someone had to have thrown it.

A biker gang, in this case. Twenty strong and sans bikes. And they did _not_ look pleased to see him.

Well... Actually they _did_ look pleased to see him, but not in a friendly way. More in a vicious 'we are going to make you squeal like a btich' way.

"We're gonna make you pay for what you did to our bikes, you little shit." the apparent leader growled, waving his machete menacingly.

'So much for not being next.' Kanji thought bitterly. Looks like his suspicions were right.

Seeing as he hadn't done anything to their bikes.

July 10th 2011

Rise was tired. So very tired.

Her initial plan, take a break from showbiz in her quiet hometown of Inaba turned out to be somewhat ill advised. Then again, she was advised _not_ to do it, so it was more her ignoring apparently good advice. For the first two weeks she was constantly hounded by fanboys and girls who wanted an autograph or a picture or wanted to do one of her characters' catchphrases for their amusement. The temptation to strangle them was so hard to resist but she managed.

Eventually, the excitement died down and the people went back to their daily lives, allowing Rise to do what she came to do. That being relax and maybe do a little soul-searching.

Easier said than done when your manager is on the phone every day reminding you how your career is going further down the crapper every second you spend out of the spotlight. She knew that already, they didn't need to keep reminding her! She felt this was important. Something she had to do. She wanted to decide whether showbiz was what she really wanted. She wanted to decide who she really was and being 'Risette' wasn't going to help in accomplishing that.

If she were being honest, she would say despite the time she'd spent pondering it, she still had no _idea_ who she was. It was a difficult question, after all. One every teenager has to ask themselves at some point but most don't have the added obstacle of spending most of their time being someone they're not.

Sighing away some of her frustration, she moved from the counter of the tofu shop and headed towards the back for her lunch.

The 'extra special ingredient' remained completely undetected under the ludicrously spicy food.

The dark-haired former soul reapoer hidden in the room wondered to herself why she only used the poison once before? It was _so_ much easier than these complicated schemes!

October 6th 2011

As Naoto Shirogane continued to stare at the case file, she was sure she was going insane.

That was the only explanation. Why else would she continue slamming her head against the brick wall that was her current 'case'. Six deaths. Two by poison, one by freak stock-room accident, one by a car crash, one by incensed biker gang and one by a psychopathic stalker.

'No. Not a psychopath. Just unstable.' she corrected herself as she sipped her tea, resolving not to make such blatantly erroneous diagnoses in future.

Six deaths. All between the ages of 15 and 16. Connections between them were flimsy at best. Satonaka and Hanamura were close. As were Satonaka and Amagi. Amagi was an acquaintance of Tatsumi but somewhat astranged. But the other two? Never met any of the others. Souji was a fan of Kujikawa's but calling that connection tenuous would be akin to calling Sherlock Holmes 'a bit clever'.

That the victims weren't connected wasn't the frustrating part, however. The frustrating part was how Naoto was certain, _absolutely certain, _that all six deaths were connected! No proof! Hell, no _evidence_ and yet there was no doubt in her mind that they were all killed for the same reason.

The poisonings. Yes, one could certainly make the argument. Not only was it the same poison used, it was a substance unlike anything anyone had seen in decades! It was an effective poison, granted, but there were so many easier options available that would have had the same result! Either the perpetrator was ridiculously out of touch with modern murder methods or was simply a showoff.

"Well, that _is_ interesting..." a wispy voice spoke from right next to Naoto, as if looking over her shoulder.

Naoto's eyes flew wide, shocked out of her wits that someone had managed to sneak up on her so easily. However, when she turned to look at her visitor, she saw no one. She was still alone in her room. She cautiously stood, continuing to look around.

But the voice continued to speak. "You really _are_ a bright spark, aren't you? 2nd! 3rd! 9Th! 10th! All would be overjoyed to have you! That instinct! To have just _seen_ the connection without even knowing it existed! I admit, Satonaka wasn't really me but it would've been if she'd lived another day..." the voice mused aloud.

"T-Tobi!" Naoto shrieked.

The door swung open, a sharp dressed man darting in, handgun pointed towards the floor. "Miss Naoto, what's the matter?" he asked in a businesslike tone.

"Get my grandfather. NOW!" she ordered.

"Yes, ma'am!" he answered before running off towards the study.

"Ooh! She knows how to give orders, too! Wonderful!" the voice giggled. "Won't be long now."

"Naoto, are you alri-?" Raidou Shirogane started to ask his granddaughter as he ran into the room only to stop at what he saw. His eyes widened in horror then narrowed in rage. "Soul reaper!" he hissed out through clenched teeth.

"Ooh, you can see me as well? That _is_ interesting but you're a bit old for my needs. Not like sweet little Naoto here."

"What do you want." Raidou growled at the intruder.

The soul reaper looked confused. "What do I want? Oh, what I want I already have! Isn't that right... little Naoto?"

It was then that Naoto lost feeling in her legs, leaving her to fall back into her chair. "G-grandfather?" she asked weakly, fear starting to seep into her voice.

Raidou again looked at his granddaughter and saw how suddenly pale she was. "Naoto, what..." he trailed off and spotted the teacup sitting on the desk, still half full. The ferocity of his glare increased a hundred fold as he again looked at the reaper. "What have you _DONE!_" he yelled.

Seeing his granddaughter, the last of his family and the single light remaining in his life slump further in her chair, Raidou did something he hadn't done in decades. Bringing his hands together, he formed a blue arc that spread from where his hands connected. "By the honour of the Quincy," he began in an emotionless voice, "By the honour of the Quincy I will remove the taint of your existence... and avenge my granddaughter." he finished as he drew back the arrow on his bow.

"Oh..." The nameless soul reaper said, frowning. "Bugger."

A/N: I did say this was a side project. Regular updates just won't happen for this fic. Still, the Naoto scene was a lot of fun. And now the cast are all dead. Shame, that. Yukiko's was going to be way more sad and disturbing but... this isn't really that kind of fic. Despite Naoto's saying otherwise.

**REVIEWS**

**ToAruLongConfusingName**: You were right for one of those. And the blue haired guy was Hanataro from Bleach. He was the medic in the Soul Society arc.

Reviews done.

There's another side project I'll probably be starting soon. An idea I couldn't get out of my head. So which fic I add to will be decided entirely based on which I feel like writing that day.

Thanks for reading!


	7. A Reunion for Strangers

October 20th 2011

It had been close to six months since the most recent recruits had joined the academy. Those six months had not been wasted when it came to their training. While initially they struggled, eventually they adjusted to the higher level of activity, leaving them more inclined to relax than collapse when the day's classes ended. As such, they were finding themselves with more time to practice their preferred skillsets.

Seta, having found himself to be something of a kido prodigy, spent a great deal of time at the firing range, improving his accuracy. Having mastered the first ten hado and bakudo, he had a great deal of fondness for Bakudo #9, the one used to kill him. That is to say, he used it on anyone who annoyed him enough. This, in turn, meant most of the class were _very_ familiar with the procedure to escape from that particular binding Kido. An optimist might think that was subconsciously one of Seta's goals so that no one would be caught with it like he was. But no one was about to ask, and if they did, he wouldn't answer. Kido being mostly performed with hand gestures meant a steady hand was essential, so Seta also spent time performing jinzen often. It had reached the point where he sometimes heard smug taunting from an unseen voice that he felt he should recognise. Makimaki-sensei told him this was a sign of progress on connecting with his zanpakuto.

Yosuke split his focus 70-30 between zanjutsu and kido training. Of course, about half of his kido training was due to Seta hitting him with every bakudo they'd learned or were trying to learn. As Seta's closest friend (and therefore most frequent target) he'd suffered #9 so often he could literally escape it in his sleep, forcing Seta to explore other options. While his zanjutsu training was going well, Yosuke constantly felt... restrained somehow, by wielding the single long blade. The style was slow and methodical which didn't fit him at all. Since shikai zanpakuto were supposed to match the wielder, he threw himself into trying to connect with his sword. Due to his efforts, he not only heard a voice as Seta did, he also could swear on his afterlife he'd seen a humanoid figure of blue and red at one point.

It would not take a psychic to guess Chie's chosen area of study. Every day after classes she would challenge the first person she came across to a hakuda spar. Having died and ended up in an afterlife filled with martial artists, it was difficult to convince her this wasn't her own specially made slice of heaven. Swords weren't really her style so her zanjutsu rarely saw independent practice. However, she dutifully practiced jinzen when she had a particularly tough day, it being the least tiring exercise. Kido, though, was her weakest area. She mostly stuck to practicing bakudo there. The Hakuda instructor told her if she wanted to focus on hand-to-hand, she could – there was at least one captain who did just that – but that captain was a master of flash step and since they hadn't learned that yet, Chie would need a method to keep opponents stationary so she could get in close.

Adachi was already skilled in hand-to-hand combat before his death. But it turned out that skill was not necessarily due to a particular talent in the discipline, more due to relentless practice in the police academy. Since he had no real dedication to the art of hakuda, he didn't practice often outside of class, instead preferring to keep his zanjutsu skills up. His skills in kido leaned heavily towards bakudo. Hado was passable but his attempts at healing were abysmal, often causing more damage than they fixed.

Taro was an oddity. He had skill. In everything. Nothing exceptional but he could keep up with several of the lesser class 1 students without much trouble. A rather impressive feat considering he was actually in class 2. Add that to the fact that he spent his time studying rather than training, it made people wonder why he wasn't in class 1 in the first place. The truth of it was simply a lack of raw power. Class 1 trained future captains and Taro would never have the level of strength to get there. One day he would be an ideal lieutenant but it would be a thousand years before he could bridge that final gap.

-(-)-

"So what exactly is this about, Captain Hitsugaya?" Seta asked as as the five of them followed behind the diminutive captain.

"A little _respect_, if you would, recruit." Toshiro reminded. Upon joining the academy, all students are considered part of the 13 Court Guard Squads and should show utmost respect to superior officers at all times. 'Speak when spoken to' being implied.

Seta stood straighter as he walked. "Yes, sir! Sorry sir!"

Hitsugaya nodded, then answered the initial question. "I assumed you would like an update on the status of your case. We believe the assailant has been... apprehended, in a manner of speaking."

"Thank you, sir. But if I may ask, why-"

"-have I dragged your friends along as well?", Hitsugaya finished the question for him. "We initially assumed Tohru Adachi and Taro Namatame were the first and second victims respectively, with you being the third. It seems we were mistaken."

Toshiro said no more after that. Instead he led them all into a district marked with the kanji for '2', marking it as belonging to the second squad. The members of said division could be seen training in various disciplines wherever the academy students looked. The second squad actually had its own uniform that included a couple of variations depending on that reaper's particular job. The vast majority could be seen wearing all black as well as a face mask to conceal their identity. The few who didn't wear the mask were officers, as they needed to be recognised by the main forces.

Lieutenant Omaeda, balding and decorated in garish jewellery as always, could be seen standing at attention to the side of the group's apparent destination. "Captain Hitsugaya, sir! Captain Soi Fon is expecting you!"

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Hitsugaya acknowledged without looking at the man.

On the other side of the door was a rather spartan office. Walls of undecorated wood panelling, and a tatami mat floor. The only significant features a desk laden with paperwork facing the door and a three foot statue of a black cat in the corner to the left. The room, Captain Soi Fon's office as it turned out, was occupied by not only the Captain herself but several others. All of them wearing civilian clothing.

Some of them familiar. "Yukiko?"

The dark-haired girl in red turned at the familiar voice. "Chie?"

"Yukiko!"

"Chie!"

The two girls rushed towards and then held each other as the girl in red started to weep. "I'm so sorry, Chie!", she sobbed. "It's all my fault! I shouldn't have left you alone like that!"

"Shh,shh, it's okay! It was just bad luck is all, you couldn't have known. And I'm fine now, see?" Chie consoled her.

"Ahem-"

Still by the door, Yosuke nudged Seta and gestured with his head at a redheaded girl watching the tearful reunion with a smile on her face. "Hey, bro! That girl over there! Isn't that Risette?"

"No way!" Seta breathed.

"It is!" Yosuke whispered excitedly. "That hair, that smile, those beautiful slim legs! That's really her, man!"

"_Excuse_ me-"

"I've been planning for this day all my life." Seta said. Even though that statement could've been literal, it wasn't. "Check me out." he told Yosuke before walking confidently towards Rise.

She looked up at him as he reached her, the close proximity making the height difference very obvious. They stared into each others' eyes and a faint blush could be seen on her face. Taking her hands in his, Seta took that as his cue.

And got on one knee.

"Oh god." she sighed, knowing exactly what was about to happen, having been through it before. Multiple times.

"Will you marry me?" Seta asked loudly, enough so for the whole room to hear and their heads to snap in his direction. Entirely focused on what was clearly the most interesting (entertaining) thing happening at that moment. Even Omaeda was peeking through the still open door to see the dumbass at work.

Unfortunately for the ensuing spectacle, Soi Fon had had quite enough of people ignoring her and released a significant amount of spiritual pressure. Hitsugaya and Omaeda were unaffected (though Omaeda twitched reflexively. This was usually a sign of his captain in a bad mood). All of the recruits were having trouble standing (except Seta who was already kneeling). The civilians, however, immediately stopped breathing and collapsed. 'Hmm.' Soi Fon thought. 'Perhaps I overdid it a little.' and immediately let up.

All the recruits did the smart thing and stood at attention right away, save for Chie who helped her friend to her feet first. Omaeda returned to his post and Hitsugaya finally closed the door.

"Now," Soi Fon started, her calm tone not fooling anyone into thinking she was really calm, "If I could get to the reason you were all brought here, your case has been closed."

"What case?", three of the four civilians asked at once.

The fourth civilian; a blue-haired boy wearing modern day clothing consisting of a blue shirt, yellow tie, black trousers and a blue, peaked cap, looked at Soi Fon as if asking for permission to speak. The Captain gave a slight nod in answer. "My name is Naoto Shirogane. Before my p-passing," Naoto said, slightly stumbling on the last word, "I was a private detective, apprenticed to my grandfather. I was investigating an unusual case consisting of a string of deaths in the Inaba region recently. "Two poisonings," Naoto glanced at the pair of Rise and Seta, still standing next to each other, "two stabbings," Yukiko, then Yosuke, "a hit-and-run," Chie, "and finally, death by biker gang." Naoto finished, looking at Kanji.

"All between the ages of 15 and 16, all dead within the span of seven months. It was the second poisoning that made me suspicious. Before that there was nothing else to connect all the victims-"

"Get to the point, Shirogane." Soi Fon ordered.

Naoto nodded, swallowing. "Yes. My apologies. Approximately two weeks ago, I was home looking over the data I had collected when I was... interrupted." The businesslike facade started to fracture. "I heard a voice. It was congratulating me. Telling me how... _impressed_ it was that I noticed. I told Tobi to get help. To get my grandfather." A deep, shuddering breath. Hands started to tremble. "My grandfather came in. Asked me what was wrong but stopped when he saw... _s-something_. Called it a soul reaper. He was so _angry_! The voice didn't care. Said it was impressed with him too. Would take him but he was too old. Not like... Not like me." Look at the floor. Can't let them see! "I felt weak. Fell into my chair. 'Poison', I knew. I was going to die! I was...!" 'so scared!' Stopped before you admitted it out loud. "Grandfather knew as well. Still so angry but he knew it was too late. He did... something. Made a bow in his hands... S-said he w-would-"

Naoto couldn't go on any longer. She turned to face the wall and slammed her forehead against it. Her shoulders were shaking but she didn't make a sound.

Yukiko started to move before she noticed Seta already next to the silently crying girl. He put a comforting hand on her shoulder and she spun to face him and cry into his academy uniform, continuing to hide her face. He turned the two of them round so he was directly facing the staring crowd. He glared back, ordering them to look in another direction. They all did, Hitsugaya adding an approving nod before doing the same.

Seta knew full well what Naoto was going through. He had gone through it himself on his first day in Soul Society, if in a less... public manner. His upbringing had left him with significant control over most of his emotions, thus he was able to maintain a facade when retelling his demise to Hitsugaya. It was two days later that he finally broke down. Two hours beating his fists against the nearest wall, six more blubbering in an alleyway, trying to come to terms with what he'd lost. What had been stolen from him. That creature having the gall to mock him in his last moments. So Seta let Naoto express grief into his shirt. Any of the others would've done the same for him even if the guys would've felt weird about it.

Soi Fon cleared her throat. Getting all of their attention again, Seta keeping one ear on the conversation. "For those unaware, the spirit bow is the signature weapon of the Quincy. A group of spiritually aware humans who trained themselves to destroy hollows, unknowingly creating weapons that completely eradicate souls. We believe Johei Shirogane was once Raidou Kuzunoha, one of the last Quincys alive. Upon investigating the Shirogane home, we found it abandoned. But one room had the telltale scorch marks and spirit particle pattern of a soul eradication. While the 13 Court Guard Squads as a whole are against such things," she glanced at Seta and Naoto for an instant, "but on a personal level, I can't help but find such a punishment justified."

"That is all. Dismissed."

-(-)-

A/N: I really hope Naoto's account of her death worked. It felt like it worked. But writing it and reading it are two different things. So I'd love some feedback on that.

You know what? I can't seem to write a story without angst or really depressing stuff included. FEShadow? Sure it's like that sometimes in canon but I went above and beyond with giving the protagonist an enormous superiority complex and daddy issues (I cringe thinking about that backstory now but I'm not changing it this far in). HP:GOTY? Canon starts with child abuse no matter how you slice it, so hard to avoid angst there. This? Speaks for itself. But Fate Butterfly? Based on the story that's Happy Wacky Fun Time for the vast majority? How in the _hell_ did I make _that_ angsty?

Ugh. Whatever. **REVIEWS**! Like in the other stories, messaged responses only from now on.

**Astrih Konnash**: A bit fast, yes. But the students are all just training now so not much to write about. It's school. And a military one at that. You fall into a routine eventually. And yeah, I was just a little bit proud of Naoto's death scene. Raidou _was_ Quincy but gave it up decades ago and expected the knowledge to die with him. What he does now, however... I know exactly where Teddie shows up but if you want to share ideas and yours is better, I'll give credit where it's due.

**Kigita**: Hope I sated your Seta/Rise needs for a bit with the proposal... Eww. That was poorly phrased.

Anyway, don't know when the next'll be out but... meh. Just be glad I posted _something_. It's more than FEShadow is getting. I'LL DO SOMETHING WITH IT SOON, I SWEAR!

Thanks for reading!


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